Bishop of the Devil

But Yao Ming naturally had his own reasons for choosing to renew his contract with the Pistons.

First of all, the Pistons' lineup is strong enough. Even if they didn't win the championship last season, they are still one of the strongest teams in the league. Yao Ming has a good chance of continuing to win the championship in the future.

Secondly, the team is full of teammates with whom he gets along very well. If he changes teams rashly, he will have to re-establish personal relationships.

This is also the reason why many players don't want to be traded. They rush into an unfamiliar environment. Who knows whether they will encounter stupid teammates, whether they will have friction with their teammates, and whether they will be isolated.

These are all factors that players have to consider.

In the end, Yao Ming opened a Yao Restaurant in Detroit, and just left. The restaurant would definitely not be able to continue.

Richard can understand Yao Ming's difficulties very well. He still owes a lot of money. He has not yet paid off the money in China...

So even if Yao Ming chooses to renew his contract with the Pistons in advance, Richard can accept it.

"Thank Sanders for me. No, I will thank him in person tomorrow." Richard said to several Pistons players.

Sanders is obviously letting the Pirates win this home game. Richard must say thank you for this kind of favor.

Some fans may not understand this. Will NBA games be lax? !

In fact, it's not just about letting off steam. Sometimes the nastiness involved is more serious than fans think.

The next night, after the players from both sides entered the court, Richard walked directly to the Pistons bench.

The Pistons' lineup hasn't changed much since Richard left. They still want to rely on the family foundation Richard saved to win the championship.

So, when they saw Richard coming, all the Pistons players came together.

"Okay, you all go and warm up quickly. I have something to say with your coach." Richard waved his hand, indicating to these players to give him and Sanders some space.

"Li, you don't want to thank me for this, right?" Sanders said with a hearty smile.

"We are fellow villagers, and this friendship is more precious than anything else."

"You don't have to be so polite to me..."

Richard nodded. When he first entered the league, Sanders kept telling him that they were fellow villagers and should help each other.

Although this relationship with fellow villagers is very reluctant if we really talk about it, now Richard also accepts this relationship with fellow villagers from the bottom of his heart.

"Phillip, thank you."

"However, I may have to ask you for help with something in the future..." Richard was a little embarrassed to say it. He felt that his request was a bit excessive.

"Lee, let me guess, in the previous draft, you gave Lawrence Frank a list, and it was this list that allowed them to select Amir Johnson, right?" Sanders did not ask Richard for it. Please help yourself, but brought up what happened at the draft.

Richard nodded, there was nothing to hide.

Even if Richard didn't say anything, the others were not fools. How could anyone not guess such an obvious thing.

"Then I understand, Li, I promise you, if I have this opportunity, I will hand it over to you." Sanders said with a smile on his face, patting Richard on the shoulder.

It's so refreshing to talk to smart people.

Sanders didn't even ask Richard's request and agreed without saying a word.

He was able to agree so happily because he naturally had his own considerations.

Although Richard and Frank are about the same age, there has never been any interaction between them.

The only intersection was probably that time Frank did not coach the All-Stars due to personal reasons, and then gave the opportunity to Richard.

It was such an intersection that allowed him to get help from Richard and select a very useful player with a second-round pick in the draft.

Sanders knew Richard's character very well. Richard owed him a favor this time. If he needed it in the future, Richard could definitely help him in the draft.

This favor is absolutely priceless!

The Pistons' current lineup doesn't need Richard. The only thing Sanders needs to do is to unleash the Pistons' true strength.

But no one can say how long Sanders can stay with the Pistons. With such a lineup, if he cannot lead the team to win the championship in a short time, then the old Davidson may not be able to keep him.

Maybe when the time comes, he will return to the Timberwolves to teach.

Then Richard's favor is extremely valuable...

So there was no need to clarify at all, Sanders immediately agreed.

Sanders had led the Western Conference All-Star team before, and the Eastern Conference All-Star team was led by Richard...

Sanders really doesn't pay attention to a small All-Star who is qualified to lead the team.

In fact, he couldn't figure out why Richard was so crazy and why he valued his qualifications to lead the All-Star team so much.

Logically speaking, senior coaches like them would usually hide away if they can when encountering this kind of thing. If you have time this weekend, why not spend time with your family...

Could this be considered an honor in Richard's eyes?

But look at the resumes of those meritorious coaches, how many championships they have won, how many division championships they have won, how many COYs they have won...

Who would write on their resume that they have coached several All-Stars? Isn’t that funny?

Anyway, Sanders couldn't understand Richard at all, but it was normal for him to think about it carefully. If he could see Richard clearly, then this guy would definitely not have achieved such terrifying achievements.

You must know that Richard is not yet forty years old, but this guy has already won five championships. When he reaches sixty years old, who knows how many championship rings he can get.

…

Seeing Sanders agreeing so simply, Richard breathed a sigh of relief.

Just agree, and I guess I can get another super suit this year.

At present, it is quite difficult for the Pirates to hit the first place in the Eastern Conference. From the perspective of future fans, this Buccaneers lineup is extremely luxurious and is not inferior to the Eastern Conference hegemon Pistons.

But after all, they are all new, still too immature and need time to grow.

The possibility of surpassing the Pistons is quite slim.

In this way, Richard had to make two preparations.

The Pistons have at least a 70% to 80% chance of winning the first place in the Eastern Conference, so they will first reserve Sanders' qualification to lead the team.

If you want to keep the top four and compete for one, you must at least qualify for the top four.

In this way, Richard has basically obtained the qualification to lead the All-Star team.

Of course, it is not 100% safe. If the Heat breaks out and takes the Pistons' first place in the Eastern Conference, this possibility is not impossible.

If this situation really happened, then Richard would have no choice but to accept his fate.

…

"Thank you, my old man. I owe you a favor. You can withdraw this favor at any time."

"But I advise you to withdraw cash at the draft, which is more cost-effective..." Richard said with a smile.

"Our relationship as fellow villagers means there is no need to be so polite, Li. If one day I need your help, I will ask." Sanders smiled broadly and breathed a sigh of relief.

With Richard's favor, if I coach those stinky tomatoes and rotten bird-egg teams in the future, the start will be much easier.

…

Jordan was sitting not far from the Pirates' bench, watching Richard and Sanders talking and laughing, and finally hugged...

I couldn't help but wonder how Richard made these connections.

At least Sanders, the coach, was not very familiar to Jordan, and the two of them hadn't even spoken much.

Originally, Jordan was worried that with Richard's fiery personality and having offended so many coaches before, the Pirates' new team would be tripped up.

But the New Army has been doing this for more than a year, and no one has ever made a stumbling block.

Jordan overlooked one thing. Richard did offend many coaches, but the only real relationship that could not be saved was Larry Brown and old Dunleavy...

As a result, there is no news from these two people now. Where else can they stumble Richard.

As for other people, they would only come to provoke Richard if they were full.